1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to inflatable structures, and in particular to inflatable structures used in packaging and associated methods and apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
Inflatable structures constitute an important part of the packaging industry. Inflatable structures are commonly used as cushions to package items, either by wrapping the items in the inflatable structures and placing the wrapped items in a shipping carton, or by simply placing one or more inflatable structures inside of a shipping carton along with an item to be shipped. The cushions protect the packaged item by absorbing impacts that might otherwise be fully transmitted to the packaged item during transit, and also restrict movement of the packaged item within the carton to further reduce the likelihood of damage to the item.
Inflatable packaging has an advantage over non-inflatable packaging in that inflatable packaging can require less raw material to manufacture it. Further, it is known within the art to make inflatable packaging such that it is inflatable on demand. Inflate-on-demand packaging allows the entity using the packaging materials to wait and inflate the packaging materials when needed, such as when shipping an item in a shipping container, as described above. This means that inflate-on-demand packaging materials occupy less space as compared to pre-inflated packaging materials, which makes them easier to store. Additionally, transportation of the packaging materials to the entity using them to package items can be less expensive than it would be if the packaging materials were already inflated because they can be shipped in significantly smaller containers.
Despite the advantages of inflate-on-demand packaging, there is still room for improvement within the art. This is because prior designs typically require the use of costly inflation devices that may be hard for the entity using the packaging materials to operate. In particular, many inflation devices rely upon heat sealing which adds to the complexity and cost of such inflation devices. Further, many inflation devices also necessitate the insertion of an inflation wand into the valve of an inflatable structure, which can be difficult to accomplish, or they may also require careful machine-feeding of the uninflated packaging materials.
Accordingly, a need exists in the art for improved inflatable packaging structures and related inflation apparatus and methods that address the shortcomings of the prior art noted above.